Why Australia’s Netball World Cup uniforms were changed in wake of Gina Rinehart sponsorship saga

With the netball World Cup in South Africa just 15 days away, title sponsor Vitality has pulled out of the tournament, leaving Netball Australia with another sponsorship disaster.

Failed negotiations saw the private health insurer go in another direction, leaving many of the 16 competing nations – including Australia – scrambling to make late changes for promotion shoots ahead of the first match in Cape Town on July 28.

The Diamonds posed for a series of team photos earlier this week, with green or yellow tape used to cover the Vitality company logo.

‘It was our intention to be the title sponsor of the Netball World Cup 2023,’ parent company Discovery said in a statement.

‘Regrettably, following negotiation, we were unable to reach a mutually agreeable partnership.’

Diamonds stars Kate Moloney, Kiera Austin, Jo Weston and Liz Watson model the altered uniforms

The sponsorship blow follows the Diamonds losing a $15million sponsorship deal from mining magnate Gina Rinehart last October.

At the time, a number of players had concerns about wearing a team uniform that included sponsorship branding from Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting company.

Indigenous player Donnell Wallam was said to be uncomfortable wearing a uniform with the company logo.

It followed comments Rinehart’s late father Lang Hancock had made about Aboriginal Australians almost four decades ago.

He suggested in 1984 that Indigenous Australians should be sterilised to ‘breed themselves out’ in coming years.

Netball Australia was left reeling after Gina Rinehart (pictured) withdrew a massive $15million sponsorship deal last year

Gina Rinehart (right) is pictured with her father Lang Hancock, who started the company Hancock Prospecting. His comments from an 1984 interview angered members of the Diamonds team

Donnell Wallam (pictured left) criticised comments Gina Rinehart’s late father Lang Hancock had made about Aboriginal Australians, prompting Australia’s richest woman to withdraw her sponsorship

And in March – despite a new $15million deal from Visit Victoria – it emerged Netball Australia was struggling to repay a debt of $4.2million.

‘$4.2 million is the debt that we have and need to repay,’ Netball Australia chief executive Kelly Ryan said at the time.

‘We still do have a considerable, sizeable debt that still does need to be repaid. 

‘So we are still very fiscally responsible and making sure that any opportunities for growth will be realised.’

In the World Cup, Australia are in a pool with Fiji, Tonga and Zimbabwe.